Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

SnoopyStyle Li Cunxin is a Chinese ballet dancer. He arrives in America in a cultural exchange program sponsored by the Houston Ballet director Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood). As a child, he was taken from a small rural village and trained in the state dance program in Beijing. He tries to adjust to the new culture and the new dance program. He falls for fellow dancer Elizabeth (Amanda Schull). Li wants to extend his stay but the Chinese government refuses.There is a general lack of drama in this biopic. His childhood story is interesting but without any surprises. It's interesting to see China but the story has no intensity. A similar thing can be said about the modern American side of the story. At least that has a love story and some drama about his defection. Two hours is way too long for a biopic that isn't that dramatic.

pigeonca Yes, the plot is predictable and Li's reactions to America perhaps excessively awestruck, but this is probably the best ballet film since "The Red Shoes." In most dance films the director abandons the totality of the performances by inserting closeups of faces and feet, whereas Beresford knows when to just leave things alone. The edits only happen when another point of view is necessary and thus are never gratuitous. Restraint in art is always admirable.I was also amazed by the actors, many of them amateurs, and by the scope of the production. Maoist China appeared authentic to me, having seen many documentary films about the cultural revolution and life during that period. And Beresfords depiction of 1980s Houston reflected the era quite accurately, even if - as some comments here detect - some of the street scenes were clearly shot in Australia. So what!For me and my family, "Mao's Last Dancer" is one of the best films we've seen this year.

kluseba I didn't expect that much from the movie as I bought it at a cheap price for several reasons. First of all, I am interested in Chinese culture and history and in my university classes, we were recently talking a lot about the era of Mao. Second, I saw that Kyle MacLachlan and Joan Chen would be starring in this movie and I both adored them in the legendary Twin Peaks series and thought it would be interesting to see them come back together for another movie. I also thought that the artistic side of the movie could be beautiful.But I didn't expect too see a masterpiece, maybe the best drama I have ever seen in my whole long life. This movie blew me completely away in every sense of the word.Usually I happen to hate dance movies, but the choreographers' works in this movie are stunning and overall beautiful. The decorations, the music and the dancers are majestic and were touching and you don't have to be a fan of ballet dancing or classical music to feel so.The acting of the movie was brilliantly played by every single actor. Let's underline the stunning performance of the sympathetic, powerful and yet naive Chi Cao who played his role as if he was really living this. The young actors Wen Bin Huang and Chengwu Guo did also a very great job and I hope to hear and see more of those rather unknown talents very soon. The more well known actors like Bruce Greenwood and Kyle MacLachlan are as always very solid and charismatic.The story of the movie is highly intriguing and touching. This is a movie about having dreams and ambitions, about fighting and believing, about hope and despair. There is a very philosophical touch in the whole story and thanks to the brilliant acting you get immediately drowned into this tragic drama where a young dancer must make many sacrifices to hold on to his dreams. When the young dancer finally gets a surprise on stage towards the end of the movie, I just began to cry. This was one of the most magic moments I have ever seen in a movie and I am not a very sentimental person. Someone that won't be touched by the intensity of emotions in this movie must have a heart of ice and stone and someone that is rather emotional might be touched all along the movie. Knowing that this movie was inspired by a true story underlines the intensity of it and shows us that the best stories are often written by life and fate.This movie goes straight to the top ten movies I have seen in my life and I have seen many movies and big classics. This movie is about romance, family, freedom, faith, cultures and dreams and comparable to the great Shawshank Redemption that broke all the records on this site. Needless to say that I slightly prefer Mao's last dancer to it and I hope that this underrated movie might attract your interest and get more popular one day. Everyone that liked Shawshank Redemption must watch this flick and won't be disappointed. This is easily the best movie of the year 2009.

jotix100 China's cultural revolution had a devastating effect on the way certain works of art were perceived by the people on top. Anything that had to do with the West, was deemed not proper and therefore, not fit for the masses. Ballet, a classical dance expression, became a vehicle for propaganda, as the higher ups wanted the works presented in a revolutionary manner, in tone and content.A young man, Li Cunxin, showed an innate talent for ballet. Coming from a poor family, he had almost no chances to pursue a career as a dancer, let alone to have been singled out to go to America to study for a limited period with the Houston Ballet, under Ben Stevenson's artistic direction, gave him an opportunity, first to study, and then, to shine as a gifted soloist that conquered the hearts of whoever saw him dance.Li Cunxin got caught in between his loyalty to his birth country and what he wanted to accomplish as an artist with a great gift to give the audiences that flocked to watch him perform. After making his decision, Li lived to experience his dream, not without sacrificing his desire to be in both places, but was not allowed to be.An inspirational film by Bruce Beresford, the Australian director that has had a string of hits in America. Based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin, and adapted by Jan Sardi, this production gets a great look from its creators, who clearly that plays with the viewer's emotions as it unfolds on the screen. There have been other great ballet films, but "Mao's Last Dancer" resonates with audiences thanks to Mr. Beresford's intelligent take on the dancing world.Chi Cao plays the title role as an adult. His dancing impresses because it almost appears to be effortless. Bruce Greenwood playing Mr. Stevenson is one of his best roles in the cinema. Joan Chen, Kyle MacLachlan, Amanda Schull, Camilla Vergotis, and the rest of the supporting cast do a good job for Mr. Beresford, in a film that shows the indestructible will of a man that wanted to bring joy through his dancing. Peter James photographs the production in all its splendor as different ballet pieces are performed.